Process of preparing coal for coking



Nov. 27 1923 1,475,543

. H. DANNETTELL PROCESS OF PREPARING COAL FOR COKING Filed Sept. 20 1919 Patented Nov. 27, 1323. i

HENRY DANNETTELL, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO BURTIS U. CAIN, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

'PBOCESS OF PREPARING COAL FOB, COKIN'G.

Application filed September 20, 1919. Serial No. 325,236.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY DANNETTELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburgh and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes .of Preparing Coal for Coking, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to process of preparing coal for cOkiILq and has for an object to remove from certain comparatively low grade bituminous coal such impurities and foreign substances as render the coke ordinarily made from such coal ineflicient and ineffectual for metallurgical purposes.

In certain of the bituminous coals represented by coals mined in Indiana, Illinois and western Kentucky, the foreign sub stances are such that coke. made from such coal without the removal thereof, is not practical for use in metallurgical. processes. The coal itself is subject matter for coking but the presence of the foreign substances while not interfering with coking in the usual sense of the term produces a coke useful only to a limited extent. The impurities and foreign substances resident in these coals vary according to circumstances and locality. They may be broadly and roughly indicated as sulphur ash, silica, iron pyrites and clay. Not all of these substances are present in all cases and in other cases other foreign matters are also present, and the foreign matters just above mentioned are only indicative of the impurities and is not intended to be a complete list of such impurities to be found in all coal and at all times. The objectionable impurities, such as those just above mentioned, are mainly of greater specific gravity than the coal. The present invention therefore resides principally in a process of removing such impurities as are found in the coal to leave the coal in proper condition for coking with a further step in the process of adding to such coal, tar or pitch to supply deficiencies which occur in the particular coal being treated.

The drawing is a conventional represe11- tation of a generic apparatus which may be employed in carrying out the present process, it being understood that the process is in no Way limited byv the apparatus or in terms of the apparatus and that any other convenient or preferred form, of apparatus may be substituted therefor at will- Illustrative of the process, a hopper 1 is employed, into which the coal is dumped from any conveyor or conveying apparatus. From the hopper 1 the coal. is. discharged into the crusher 2, where it is crushed from the very large lumps in which it is sometimes delivered from the mines to such condition. as to be operated upon by the pulverizer 3. The crushed coal from the crusher 2 is conveyed to the pulverizer 3 in any approved manner, as; by the conveyor indicated at 4. In the pulverizer the coalis crushed to any.degree of fineness, as, for instance, from the sizeof a peato powder. From the pulverizer the pulverized coal is conveyed to a grinder 5 in .any approved manner as by the conveyer diagram- I matically represented at 6. The grinder 5 is of any approved type as are also the crusher 2 and the pulverizer 3. The me chanical. structure and operation of the three reducing machines is wholly imma terial to the present invention. From the grinder 5 in which the coal and its impurities are reduced to a powder the powder is withdrawn by the fan blower 7 and passed through a chute 8 to the tower 9.

In the top of the tower or collector 9 a water spray apparatus indicated at 10 is provided whereby the powdered coal and resident impurities passed through the chute 8 by the blower 7 come in contact with a finely divided spray of water which collects backwardly from the line' pipe 15 to the tank 11 for the purpose of overcoming any rarefication of air occasioned by the operation of the pump or the passage of the ma terial through the conduits 14 and 15.

From the conduit 15 the macerated material is discharged .into' a separator which preferably is of the centrifugal bowl type,

as indicated at '17 Any form of apparatus which will differentiate between the materials of different specific gravities may be ram! substituted for the centrifugal bowl separator diagrammatically represented at 17. If, however, the centrifugal bowl separator is employed, the coal, being lighter than the impurities, will pass over the edge of the bowl into the conduit 18, while the heavier materials will be discharged into any source of disposition.

The coal now being thoroughly separatec from the impurities and foreign matters is in condition for coking as soon as the water has been discharged therefrom, provided such coal contains the requisite amount of tars and pitches for producing the coke of the quality demanded. If the coal is deficient in either of the tars or pitches, such tar or pitch is added at 19, an agitator 20 being provided for insuring a thorough commingling of the macerated coal and the tars and pitches to be added thereto. From the mixing apparatus 19 the material is discharged into the settling tank 21 where it is allowed to remain until the coal has been precipitated and the water is then decanted. The coal remaining together with the added tars and pitches,-if any, is now ready for introducting into the charging wagons for introducing into the coke ovens in substantially the usual and ordinary manner, no invent on belng claimed for the manner of coking the coal after proper preparation for such coking process. The time required for the proper precipitation of the coal from the water varies under different circustances, but ordinarily such precipitation will be completed within a period of six hours and by employing a number of such settling tanks the process here described may be continuous, discharging first into onetank and then another, until the first settling tank is discharged of its precipi- 'tated coal and ready to be re-used.

Having thus fully described my saidinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

The continuous process for preparing coal for coking consisting in reducing the coal to a dust-like constituency, subjecting the coal dust to a blast of air acting as a c011- veying means, introducing a finely divided mist-like spray of water into the dust laden air whereby each particle of coal dust is thoroughly wetted, agitating the resulting mixture to prevent settling of the coal particles, and subjecting the mixture to a Wet separation where the minute particles are caused to adjust themselves in relation to each other by reason of the thoroughrsaturation of each particle, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Evansville, Indiana, this 15th day of September, A. D. nineteen hundred and nineteen.

HENRY DANNETTELL. [1 s] Witnesses:

HIRAM J. ADLER, MATILDA JOEST. 

